After night fell, the lights in the west hall of Zhongshu were brightly lit.
The officials brought tea and food to Zhang Yue, Xue Xiang, Cai Jing and others respectively.
However, these people were in no mood, either closing their eyes in deep thought or flipping through transcripts of official documents.
After learning that Jieyanyan Pond was flooded, several people stayed overnight and discussed countermeasures all night, but so far there is no good solution.
The officials brought down the cold tea and food and replaced it with some food.
Zhang Yue said to Xue Xiang and Cai Jing: "Don't be in a hurry. Eat something to fill your stomach first. Once you are full, you may have more ideas."
Xue Xiang and Cai Jing agreed, and each started eating.
Zhang Yue saw that the two of them had almost eaten and said: "I have been thinking about countermeasures for a long time. If you have any plans, let's talk about them first. Don't hide them. Let's brainstorm."
Xue Xiang picked up another piece of mung bean cake, chewed it in his mouth, and then said vaguely: "A family of ten people, ten people eat salt; a family of a hundred people, a hundred people eat salt."
"Salt matters are the most important thing in the world. This is also the reason why Fan Xiang set up the Capital Salt Institute and the Prime Minister set up the Exchange Office. Now, in my opinion, the Jiezhou Salt Pond has been flooded, resulting in no salt production in the coming year."
"The first harm is that there is less salt, and the other harm is that the anchor of salt is gone. We issued salt banknotes because of salt. Now we have banknotes but no salt. What should we do? In my opinion, haven't we negotiated peace with the party now? Okay.
From Dangxiang to Qingyan, we will discuss it to make up for the lack of salt."
That's right, Dangxiang's specialty is green salt. Green salt costs five cents per catty. It was sold privately to the Song Dynasty for fifteen cents per catty.
In the past, a pound of salt salt cost 35 to 40 yuan all year round.
At first, the Capital Salt Institute stopped purchasing salt banknotes when the price was less than thirty-five cents per pound, and sold salt banknotes when the price was above forty cents.
A catty cost five cents, and a catty cost forty cents. To be honest, the people in the Song Dynasty lived far less well than the people in Dangxiang.
Zhang Yue said: "Yes, green salt is a benefit to several states of Dangxiang, and it seems to be able to solve an urgent need. However, the war with Dangxiang is uncertain. Who knows that they will not take advantage of the flooded salt pond in Jiezhou to raise prices."
The most important thing is that Zhang Yue is not willing to buy large quantities of green salt to increase Dangxiang's national power.
Xue Xiangdao: "Prime Minister, the worst result is to immediately sell all the Jieyanyan held by the court on the market without the public knowing."
Zhang Yue couldn't help being slightly touched after hearing this. Just like the last time Jiaozi depreciated, it was also a way to get rid of all the salt banknotes in his hands. He would wait until the salt banknotes fell to the bottom before purchasing them to stabilize the currency value.
Zhang Yue thought to himself, what if the merchants and common people who bought the salt banknotes like this would do? The common people were treated like leeks again.
Come and go, it's back to the path of the suffering people.
Xue Xiangdao: "Prime Minister, if you don't use green salt, there is no other way. In the third year of Yuanfeng, the court estimated that the income from salt lessons was 15 million guan (the real historical figure is 13 million guan, this article will add
In the last chapter Yue reformed the income from salt banknotes), of which the income from salt relief and salt banknotes accounted for 500 yuan."
"Not counting the millions of salt banknotes circulating in the market, once all this money disappears, no one in the court will be able to shoulder this responsibility!"
Zhang Yue knew that what Xue Xiang said was true. He felt that he was also slapped in the face. The policy he had just proposed in front of the emperor was slapped in the face like this.
Having said that, whoever wants to make the people suffer will not be able to do it if there is a way to get the best of both worlds.
But you are in this position, what can you do? Lose the reputation of the court's salt banknotes and currency, and try your best to protect the interests of the people. No official would do this.
Or import Dangxiang's green salt. Isn't this using Song Dynasty's money to buy Dangxiang's soldiers, armor, money and food?
Zhang Yue looked at Cai Jing and said, "What advice does Yuan Chang have?"
Cai Jingdao: "According to my opinion, there is accumulated salt everywhere. As long as this part of accumulated salt is used, it can make up for the lack of salt removal."
Zhang Yue looked at Cai Jing and said, "It seems Yuan Chang has a countermeasure."
Cai Jing said: "The lower official does have some shallow opinions."
"Tell me carefully."
Cai Jing said: "Lower officials have two strategies: upper and lower."
"The best policy is to sell sea salt to the west. Now Henan, Hebei, Cao, Pu west, and Qinfeng east all eat salt, Sichuan eats well salt, Hedong eats soil salt, and the rest are sea salt. East of Jingdong, Hebei salt, passenger transport to the west
Or in the west of Beijing, the official money for a bag is only 6,000 yuan, and the cost of the salt bag is less than 1,000 yuan. The court profit from it is 2 million yuan a year. It is not as good as selling it to Shaanxi, the distance is doubled, and the profit is doubled."
"The imperial court can issue new banknotes to replace the old banknotes, so that merchants must discount or trade in goods, and then exchange the old banknotes for new ones. The old banknotes will be gradually abolished and then replaced with new banknotes."
After hearing Cai Jing's suggestion, Zhang Yue fell into deep thought, while Xue Xiang clapped his legs and said, "Yuan Chang is really a genius."
Zhang Yue glanced at Xue Xiang and agreed: "Yuan Chang's method is indeed a good one."
Zhang Yue vaguely remembered that Cai Jing used this method in history to restore the credibility of salt banknotes.
But the problem is that the new banknotes are abolished and replaced with new ones. Many merchants who bought salt banknotes before were trapped by the court and were forced to spend a lot of money to buy new banknotes, otherwise the old banknotes would become waste paper.
It was the exchange of banknotes that eventually led to the collapse of the court's credit, causing countless wealthy households to go bankrupt and return to poverty overnight. Cai Jing's reform of the Salt Law had great initial results, but later changes were made day and night, and there was no fixed system.
In the end, the people were shocked.
Zhang Yue asked Cai Jing: "If merchants use cash to replenish the salt banknotes, doesn't this damage the credibility of the court? If the court wants to replace the salt banknotes with new ones in the future, will the merchants have to use the old banknotes to replace the salt banknotes with new ones?"
"
Cai Jingdao: "Yes...yes...someone must bear the five million deficit of the imperial court. The businessmen are the least damaged. Whichever is the lesser of two evils. After all, they are just some businessmen, and they are gone."
There are more batches. As long as the salt banknotes are profitable, the court’s money is not afraid that there will be no businessmen to earn it. There will be plenty of people to rob it.”
Zhang Yue shook his head and said: "The court's reputation is not ruined for a while, but for a lifetime!"
"Prime Minister!" Cai Jing wanted to speak, but was interrupted by Zhang Yue, who said to Cai Jing: "Chang Yuan, please raise your head and see what is written on the plaque in this hall?"
Cai Jin raised his head and saw the word "people's foundation" clearly written on the plaque.
Zhang Yue spoke sternly to Cai Jing: "Do you think I am telling outsiders or writing it for myself? On the first day I hung out, you encouraged me to smash my own sign? What are you doing?
Are you deliberately trying to keep me from getting off the stage and embarrass me?"
Upon hearing this, Cai Jing lowered his head and said, "It's Jing's fault, isn't it?"
Zhang Yue said: "I think highly of you, Chief Yuan, but there is one thing I have to say to you first: 'Don't use petty wisdom to imprison the people. The world should be governed with loyalty, justice, benevolence and filial piety as the foundation of the scriptures.'"
"Don't be too clever to be fooled by your cleverness, otherwise no one will be able to protect you if something happens in the future."
Cai Jing was so reprimanded by Zhang Yue that he was sweating profusely, and immediately said: "This is the Prime Minister. Jing will remember what the Prime Minister said today, and he will never forget it forever."
Xue Xiang watched with a smile but said nothing, and then looked up at the sign with the word "民本" written on it.
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Okay, tell me your next move!"